What does alcanzar in Spanish mean?

What is the meaning of the word alcanzar in Spanish? The article explains the full meaning, pronunciation along with bilingual examples and instructions on how to use alcanzar in Spanish.

The word alcanzar in Spanish means reach, be enough, catch up with, catch up, achieve, accomplish, manage to do, affect, reach the top, reach the zenith, aspire to happiness, not manage to [+ infinitive]. To learn more, please see the details below.

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Meaning of the word alcanzar

reach

verbo transitivo (llegar a tocar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Se subió en una silla para alcanzar la bombilla que tenía que cambiar.
He stood up on a chair to reach the light bulb that needed changing.

be enough

verbo intransitivo (ser suficiente, bastar)

El dinero no alcanza para llegar a fin de mes.
The money I have isn't enough to last me the month.

catch up with

verbo transitivo (en un recorrido)

(phrasal verb, transitive, inseparable: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning, not divisible--for example,"go with" [=combine nicely]: "Those red shoes don't go with my dress." NOT [S]"Those red shoes don't go my dress with."[/S])
El pelotón alcanzó al líder de la carrera en el último kilómetro.
The pack caught up with the race leader in the final kilometre.

catch up

verbo transitivo (igualar, ponerse al día)

(phrasal verb, intransitive: Verb with adverb(s) or preposition(s), having special meaning and not taking direct object--for example, "make up" [=reconcile]: "After they fought, they made up.")
Empezamos el trabajo hoy y ya alcanzamos a los que habían comenzado la semana pasada.
We just made a start on the work today and we've already caught up with the others.

achieve, accomplish

verbo transitivo (conseguir, lograr)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Esos jóvenes emprendedores alcanzaron sus metas con mucho tesón.
These young entrepreneurs achieved their goals through a great deal of determination.

manage to do

(lograr, conseguir)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
La muchacha alcanzó a oír la voz de su amigo entre el griterío. Mi sobrino murió tan joven que no alcanzó a realizar todos sus sueños.
The girl managed to pick out her friend's voice amidst the screaming.

affect

verbo transitivo (figurado (tocar, afectar)

(transitive verb: Verb taking a direct object--for example, "Say something." "She found the cat.")
Las nuevas medidas del gobierno alcanzarán a todas las capas sociales.
The government's new measures will affect all levels of society.

reach the top, reach the zenith

locución verbal (figurado (lograr éxito profesional) (figurative)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
El periodista alcanzó la cima cuando publicó ese artículo.
The journalist reached the zenith in her career upon publication of that article.

aspire to happiness

(deseo, sueño)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")

not manage to [+ infinitive]

locución verbal (no conseguir)

(verbal expression: Phrase with special meaning functioning as verb--for example, "put their heads together," "come to an end.")
Murió tan joven que no alcanzó a realizar todos sus sueños.

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Do you know about Spanish

Spanish (español), also known as Castilla, is a language of the Iberian-Romance group of the Romance languages, and the 4th most common language in the world according to Some sources, while others list it as a 2nd or 3rd most common language. It is the mother tongue of about 352 million people, and is spoken by 417 million people when adding its speakers as a language. sub (estimated in 1999). Spanish and Portuguese have very similar grammar and vocabulary; The number of similar vocabulary of these two languages is up to 89%. Spanish is the primary language of 20 countries around the world. It is estimated that the total number of speakers of Spanish is between 470 and 500 million, making it the second most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers.